EFC 99 is now officially ten days away and the card continues to come together to provide a stacked card for fight fans all around the world!
Five new exciting bouts were confirmed for the November card over the last week, which include replacements as well as some thrilling new match-ups that are slated to take place. Here is a breakdown of all five of the new confirmed fights.
Nico Yamdjie vs Adama Diop [Heavyweight Fight]
A highly-respected wrestler in his home country of Senegal, Adama Diop is a veteran of 93 bouts within the sandbag arena and has now made a smooth transition to MMA by adding a variety of skills to his already fearsome grappling by training at Bokk Jiu-Jitsu and Scorpion kickboxing. He faces a veteran of the EFC 265lb division in fellow West African, Nico Yamdjie. ‘The Lion’ thrilled fight fans with a back-and-forth war with Sholto Luiters and showed the speed and power of a true contender when he took the victory by first-round TKO. As a forewarning to the debutante, Yamdjie has faced a Senegalese opponent in the Hexagon before in Papa Ndour, and again took a first-round TKO victory. With 11 wars in the EFC, Yamdjie is primed to welcome Diop in the most violent fashion, though ‘Blindé’ has the pedigree, training and intent to cause a massive upset!
JT Botha vs Kaleka Kabanda [Welterweight Fight]
In MMA they say that fortune favours the brave, and it couldn’t be truer for Kaleka ‘Block’ Kabanda who steps in on short notice to face JT ‘Blade’ Botha on the main card of EFC 99 on the 3rd of November. Originally due to take on Khamzat Abaev who has sustained a training injury and is unfortunately unable to compete, CIT’s Botha will now face one of the most experienced welterweights on the EFC roster. Kabanda has fought 12 times in Africa’s premier combat promotion having faced the top echelon of the 170lb division for over seven years including a first round win over current middleweight champ Luke Michael and a recent submission victory over Guelor Sondi as well as all-out wars against Pupanga Tresor, Jose da Rocha, Martin van Staden, Mark Hulme and Conrad Seabi. Both fighters are coming off wins, with Botha having finished Pietie Coxen in the first round at EFC 89 but then was subsequently sidelined with an injury that put most of his ‘22 season on ice. But now having rehabilitated and with a full fight camp behind him, the relative newcomer to the division has a massive task on his hands when he faces the gritty and tough Kabanda. With the divisional champion Ziko Makangele still yet to have his next challenger announced, both of these athletes will be fighting for welterweight primacy on a main card headlined by the incredible featherweight title fight between Igeu Kabesa and Bradley Swanepoel on the top of a card containing 12 outstanding fights of pure action!
Dylan Swanepoel vs Yebo Ntambwe [Featherweight Fight]
Having fought and trained in his family gym since he was an infant, Dylan Swanepoel owns a long list of combat sports achievements that closely resemble those of his title-contending brother Bradley. He thrilled EFC fans with his first-round triangle choke against Musa Sethwape that proved he belongs under the bright lights of the EFC Performance Institute. But standing across from him is an athlete who lost to the same opponent but has shown how dangerous his kickboxing is with a granite chin and great range-fighting combined with sneaky and opportunistic submission abilities. Ntambwe already has precious insight into the Swanepoel fighting system having lost to Bradley on his debut at EFC 81 and following that submission loss, the Springs Crew scrapper took time out to broaden his MMA skillset and now returns, rejuvenated and hunting for victory on a prelim card that bristles with the hungriest talent competing on the African continent today.
Katiso Matime vs David Mambo [Bantamweight Fight]
Shadrack Nsua vs Francois Cundari [Middleweight Fight]
Francois ‘The Saint’ Cundari returns to the Hexagon to welcome Shadrack Nsua. Proving early in his EFC career that he can outlast opponents in all-out wars or finish them like lightning, Cundari pulled off a stunning first-round triangle choke against Serge Kasanda to force the tap, following a slugfest victory against Trezeguet Kanyinda. After taking a year out of the Hexagon to work with renowned Karateka Dave Venter and veteran Coach Anthony Kettle in Cape Town he now welcomes newbie Nsua from PESFA. A middleweight with immense power and a suffocating ground game, Nsua enters the bright lights of the Performance Institute under the tutelage of South African MMA legend Chris Bright, who has moulded Nsua into a multiple gold medallist in grappling and brazilian jiu-jitsu with a technical yet aggressive boxing ability. Stylistically, both athletes matchup well and will put on a dynamic battle for the fans at an event where the competition for the Fight of the Night bonus is going to be fierce!
EFC 99, Kabesa vs Swanepoel for the EFC Featherweight Championship, presented by World Sports Betting, takes place on Thursday, 03 November 2022 live from the EFC Performance Institute in JHB, South Africa.
Full broadcast and fight information at www.efcworldwide.com
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